The most significant nurses’ strike ever of its kind in NHS history is expected to begin before Christmas. Union officials claimed the “large swathes of the country” have voted in favor of an industrial strike. The vote for the strike among over 300,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) was the most significant vote ever recorded in the union’s 106 years of history. The general secretary of the union, Pat Cullen, said: “Our strike action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses – we have their support in doing this.” Even though counting was not yet underway, RCN officials said they believe enough members have voted in favor of winter industrial action that will take place in the next few weeks, possibly before Christmas. The precise details of this strike remain to be defined. However, it is likely to result in patients being unable to attend procedures and appointments while enduring the highest NHS patient waiting lists.
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UK nurses to strike for the first time in a nationwide strike Government has “contingencies in place in case nurses strike Votes counted following the largest strike in The Royal College of Nursing’s History A source from the union informed The Observer publication: “This will see the majority of services taken out, and picket lines across the country.” The announcement comes when Prime Minister Rishi Sunk and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt already confront the enormous task of solving a PS50 billion gap in public finances. In an announcement she released, Mrs. Cullen declared: “Patients are at significant risk when there are not enough nurses. “Huge numbers of staff – both experienced and newer recruits – are deciding they cannot see a future in a nursing profession that is not valued nor treated fairly.” She said: “As we begin action, politicians in every part of the UK will be challenged to back their nursing staff and understand the strength of public support.” The RCN stated that there are records-setting nursing positions, and during the past year, 255,000 nurses in the UK have left on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register. The report said that a recent analysis had revealed the salary of experienced nurses has dropped by 20 percent in real terms since 2010, claiming that the goodwill and knowledge of nurses have been “exploited” by governments across the UK.
The RCN is promoting a pay increase five percent higher than inflation.
The government has contingency plans to deal with any nurses’ strike. The Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden has stated. Mr. Dowden stated that in the case of industrial protests, the NHS would prioritize the essential services – even though he acknowledged that it could affect other areas of activity. “We have well-oiled contingencies in place and the Department of Health is across how we would deal with a scenario like this should it arise,” the doctor told the Sky News’s Sophie Ridge on Sunday’s program. “We will ensure we priorities the most critical solutions – emergency services and other such services. However, there could be a negative impact due to an event similar to that. “I will continue encouraging nurses and others to resist strike, regardless of whether they’ve voted to strike. We’ve already negotiated substantial assistance for nursing staff. “Of course, if you are in the situation where you have a large number of nurses going out on strike, of course that is going to have an impact for example on some elective surgery and other activities.”
